nederlands
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As far as I know, this is Prydwyn's first album, but it sounds like it took a long time to ripen before it was finally released, back in 1995. For a debut album, At the Feet of Mary Mooncoin is exceptionally mature and well-done, and I have the feeling that Dr. Prydwyn had had many years of bard experience behind him at the time this was released. So, this is one of the true classics of the modern bardic tradition: a mixture of traditional balladry and modern folk/folkrock, presented with Prydwyn's typical but enjoyable nasal voice, and various instruments, the most important of which is the harp, Prydwyn's signature instrument.
The album opens with "Naked Beauty", a mostly a capella track which ends in short folk dance of whistle and bodhrán. "A Maid Walked Slow" introduces an uptempo style of original folk on mandolin, with lyrics about the clash of this world and the other, and decision making. The closing track is also in this vein. English traditionals like "The Nobleman's Wedding" and "The Death of Young Andrew" show Prydwyn's great talent in presenting ballads in an intimate setting with harp. These are long tracks in which you can follow the narrative perfectly. "In the Darkness", like "Somewhere", represents the rockish side of the music, mostly based on acoustic guitar chords, some touches of electric guitar, and a clear catchy chorus-verse structure. Then there's Gaelic traditionals "Fhir a' Bhàta" and "Tha thìd' agam éirigh", both excellent tales of love and sorrow. "Attis & Cybele" is a quite experimental track, based on Prydwyn's translation of the Latin poem by Catullus. Cybele was an ancient goddess of fertility, whose priests had to ritually castrate themselves, and wear women's clothing. The song itself is no less peculiar, being based on melodic yet spoken voice, hypnotically chanting the poem. Little touches of instruments embellish this track now and then, and the final result is quite special. Finally, there's one track I haven't yet mentioned. It's "Sleep Awhile", and that's my absolute favourite track by our dear bard. It's a short track, based only on voice and harp, but it has such a hauntingly beautiful melody and sad lyrics, the album is worth buying for this track alone.
Add to it all the magical cover art by Timothy Renner, and you've got yourselves a nice package. Altogether this is just an excellent album and a must if you like modern pagan folk. It's been a while since Prydwyn presented any new solo recordings, but I sure hope something is coming up. It's sure to be worth it.
O.S.
The album opens with "Naked Beauty", a mostly a capella track which ends in short folk dance of whistle and bodhrán. "A Maid Walked Slow" introduces an uptempo style of original folk on mandolin, with lyrics about the clash of this world and the other, and decision making. The closing track is also in this vein. English traditionals like "The Nobleman's Wedding" and "The Death of Young Andrew" show Prydwyn's great talent in presenting ballads in an intimate setting with harp. These are long tracks in which you can follow the narrative perfectly. "In the Darkness", like "Somewhere", represents the rockish side of the music, mostly based on acoustic guitar chords, some touches of electric guitar, and a clear catchy chorus-verse structure. Then there's Gaelic traditionals "Fhir a' Bhàta" and "Tha thìd' agam éirigh", both excellent tales of love and sorrow. "Attis & Cybele" is a quite experimental track, based on Prydwyn's translation of the Latin poem by Catullus. Cybele was an ancient goddess of fertility, whose priests had to ritually castrate themselves, and wear women's clothing. The song itself is no less peculiar, being based on melodic yet spoken voice, hypnotically chanting the poem. Little touches of instruments embellish this track now and then, and the final result is quite special. Finally, there's one track I haven't yet mentioned. It's "Sleep Awhile", and that's my absolute favourite track by our dear bard. It's a short track, based only on voice and harp, but it has such a hauntingly beautiful melody and sad lyrics, the album is worth buying for this track alone.
Add to it all the magical cover art by Timothy Renner, and you've got yourselves a nice package. Altogether this is just an excellent album and a must if you like modern pagan folk. It's been a while since Prydwyn presented any new solo recordings, but I sure hope something is coming up. It's sure to be worth it.
O.S.